This is my very informal review of General D’ Armee 2 rules just published. You can purchase the rules through Two Fat Lardies. I have yet to play with the rules but I am very familiar with the first edition with well over 100 games in my belt and most of the review will be a direct comparison.

Conclusion
The rules are better laid out and organized for play. 2nd Edition is superior in almost every way.

The original ruleset was written by an engineer I think. An example;

Evading the following units must evade a charge.

1…..2…..3…….4…….

Procedure

Step 1….2….3…4…5…6…7…8….ect

In 2nd Edition the rules while functionally the same is easier to follow along and allows more nuances to be accounted for.

This basic change is similar across the entire scope of the book and might push General D Armee above many other Napoleonic rulesets.

Slightly More Depth

The rulebook is high-quality, with great color photos and decent organization. The font is a little more excellent to read. The basics seem far superior to the first version. Esspecially for beginners, what do I need to play, basing scale, etc. They are quickly introduced and nicely laid out compared to 1st edition. I absolutely hate the basing advice for cavalry. I still have no idea how I should be basing my cavalry regiments, how many bases a regiment should be, there are good details for infantry and artillery just cavalry is lacking.

The troop types and formations are clearly laid out and easy to find. Small tables are abound throughout the rules. I also like the example blurbs being easy to find as well. When I first started I remember the allocating brigadiers step was just a little confusing.

I enjoy the new setup for Corps Battles vs Divisional Battles. I do wish there was a set of rules for army battles as I really enjoy playing with more than one Corps.

In general all of the chapters are just better laid out for player use. The deployment chapter is a prime example where it clearly follows what players actually do. The first edition rules struggled to have relevant information where you actually need it. The 5th chapter is similarly helpful and laid out with references to the chapters for more depth. I do wish the PDF was hyperlinked to the same sections.

Chapter 6 hasn’t changed much in function just more clearly laid out.

Chapter 7 is not new persay. It sure feels new. There are some nuances that are different, but again love the layout, love being able to follow along clearly the steps.

Chapter 8 is where the rules do get quite dense. The basic steps are clearly outlined, but the 6 or so pages of extenuating circumstances and tables are a bit tiresome. I am glad the supporting units section was made more clear. I also like the new evade rules.

Chapters 9 to 17 follow the same formula as above. Some variations to the rules are of course going to happen, but as a whole much easier to follow.

Chapter 19 is welcome as an appendix. First edition had something similar, but this seems superior.

The last major thing I want to talk about is the cheat sheet or quick reference sheet. The rulebook is 118 pages long, the creator made everything fit on 4 pages. There is a ton of information that is clearly laid out and much easier to follow than first edition.